


Polis Massa

by JadeLotus (Lotusflower85)



Series: A Year in the Life [9]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends: New Republic Era - All Media Types
Genre: + bonus pet cameos, F/M, Gen, in which luke learns about his mother, more myth, thanks to mara's investigative skills, those pesky celestials
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-02
Updated: 2017-10-02
Packaged: 2019-01-08 04:09:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,012
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12246708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lotusflower85/pseuds/JadeLotus
Summary: Mara chases down a trade deal in an asteroid field, and Luke has strange dreams.





	Polis Massa

The asteroid field that surrounded them disrupted communications, but despite the occasional waver the holographic projection of Kyp Durron perfectly conveyed his vexation at the forty pound wonat sitting on his lap.  

“How are you boy?” Luke cooed at his pet, who leaned in close to the holo at the sound of his voice, ears erect and tongue lagging out of his mouth.  “Kyp treating you okay?”

Kyp let out a dissatisfied breath.  “In line with your instructions, Luke, he’s getting treated like a king.”

Luke let out a laugh, which made Patooga lick at the holocamera and the projection was momentarily smothered by a coarse pink tongue.  “I don’t recall using those words.”

“Yes, but it was the sentiment.”  He reappeared again as the wonat was drawn back, the tuft of a tail hitting Kyp square in the face.  “When are you coming back?”

Luke couldn’t flatter himself that the question was borne of Kyp’s own desire to see him again.  “I’ll be back for a visit next week to check on things, Leia will be there by then so you’ll have help with the classes.”

“No doubt she’ll whip us all into shape,” Kyp said, putting his hand up to stop Patooga nuzzling his face.  “But then you’re off again I suppose.”

“For a few months.”  Luke had told those at the Academy he was taking a sabbatical to spend time with Mara, although he had been silent about her pregnancy.  He’d have to tell Leia of course, but they wanted to keep the happiness to themselves for a little while longer.

“These trade negotiations must be very important,” Kyp continued in that sly way of his.  “If Mara needs your assistance.”

“Most of the time I just try to stay out of her way,” Luke said with a smile.  “Although I’ve had to sign a few autographs.”

“Much to her chagrin, I’d imagine.”  Kyp’s attention was then taken up by Patooga nipping lightly at his hand, as if in response to the offence against his mistress.  Cursing, Kyp pushed the wonat away and onto the floor.  

“Can you take this mutt with you next time?” he asked with a scowl.  

“I’ll try,” Luke promised.  “I do miss him, but wonat’s aren’t really suited to being cooped up on spacecraft.”  In contrast Mara’s pet Elia was as lazy as a hutt, so it was safe to leave her on the  _ Jade Sabre  _ most of the time.  Luke looked over to where the tooka was, quite predictably, sleeping on the bed, her claws flexing as if dreaming of the hunt.  

“I don’t think they do well with  _ me _ either.”  There was a small growling off screen, and Kyp looked down and to his left.  “Alright, alright, I’ll get your food in a second.”  He gave a long suffering sigh.  “So where are you again?”

“It’s called Polis Massa,” Luke told him.  “The planet experienced some kind of cataclysm a millenia ago and all that’s left is an asteroid field with some kind of mining colony.  Not much in the way of interest, although Mara assures me that the mineral they extract from the asteroids is quite valuable.”  In truth, the finer points of trade negotiations both eluded and bored him, so he was happy to leave Mara to it.

Patooga began to whinny, and jumped up on Kyp’s lap again, pushing his snout towards the holocamera.  “It’s okay, boy,” Luke soothed him.  “I’ll see you soon.”

“As soon as possible, please.”  Kyp shot him a pleading look, but deigned to pat the wonat gently on the head before ending the call.  

With not much else to do on the base, Luke thought Elia had the right idea and stretched out beside her on the bed.  The movement awoke the tooka, but her only reaction was to curl up against his side, nuzzling her face into his shirt.  Soon they were both asleep although Luke’s was troubled; he could hear a woman screaming, saw flashes of blinding light, heard a soothing mechanical voice although he did not understand the words.  There was a pain in his chest, like a great weight pressing down on his heart, squeezing the life from him.  

“Luke.”  Mara’s voice from far away, calling him back and easing the pressure around his heart.  He opened his eyes and took in a lungful of air, his wife's worried face coming into focus above him.  

“Luke, are you alright?” She rubbed his chest lightly, sensing that it was the cause of his trouble.  Elia was next to him, tail swishing in agitation and face nuzzling against his side.  

“Fine,” he assured Mara, taking her hand and kissing it lightly.  “Just a bad dream.”

“What about?” she asked, still looking concerned.  

“Nothing,” he said, sitting up to prove that he was fine.  “I want to hear about the negotiations.”

“No you don’t,” Mara gave him an indulgent smile.  “You think it’s all dull.”

“Yes, but it’s the way you tell it,” he teased, bringing her close into a kiss.  “Really brings it alive for me.”

“If you say so,” Mara laughed.  “I think we’ll reach an accord, now it’s just haggling over price.  They did tell me more about their history - or at least the legends about their history.”

“Oh?”  Generally Luke was up for a good historical, but the dream had left him troubled.  

“There’s a Celestial in it,” she promised coyly.  

“Well then, by all means.”  Luke lay back down against the pillows and drew Mara down to lay beside him.  Elia took up residence on his chest, curling into a ball and falling immediately back asleep.  

“How do those children’s storybooks start?” Mara squeezed his hand and pressed closer.  “A long time ago, in a star system far, far away….”

_ A Celestial named Eellayin lived in the heart of Polis Massa, the most vibrant planet in the star system.  She was a fire goddess, stabilising the liquid core of the planet, warming the crust to create the perfect temperate climate for her children who dwelled on the surface.  For a millennia they lived in peace and harmony, at one with the land and grateful for the gifts Eellayin bestowed upon them, giving thanks to her every time they lit a flame in the hearth, or burned a pyre in the village to roast their meat, sharing their bounty with one another. _

_ But there came a time when this was no longer enough; the people wanted to advance, to create, to build.  Help us, mother of flame, they called out into their hearths and their pyres, share with us the gifts of your heart.  Eellayin was moved by their pleas, even though it went against the fundamental law of her kind - the Celestials believed in nurturing life, but not interfering with the natural development of a species by providing them with knowledge or material they could not otherwise have obtained themselves.  But the fire goddess loved her people who looked to her for protection and fulfillment, she believed in their goodness and worth, she had faith that they would use her gifts wisely. _

_ Eellayin sent up the magma from the planet’s core through cracks formed in the crust of the earth; volcanoes that raged in the most remote parts of the planet.  When the magma cooled, it was a simple task for the mineral to be collected, a rock both stronger and more malleable than any substance found within a thousand star systems. _

_ At first they used it to improve their lives; build cities and ships so they could travel out to the stars and trade.  But that soon created a demand for the mineral, and the tribes began to fight to possess as much of it as they could - they used it to build weapons and make war with one another.  Eellayin despaired, and for a while she thought that more of the mineral would satisfy them - the volcanoes erupted for weeks and once they cooled the tribes swarmed, hoarding the mineral and destroying all those that stood in their way.  No matter how much Eellayin gave them it was never enough, the wars became even more bloody, their greed and avarice lain bare.   _

_ Eellayin looked at her people whose evolution she had nurtured, who had taken the gifts of her own heart and squandered them, who no longer gave her homage by their hearths.  Her grief and guilt was too much for her to bear, her heart broke and she could no longer sustain her planetary form.  Fire burst forth from the crust of the planet as she combusted and burned; the earth and rock and the precious mineral for which millions had died broke apart, the inhabitants screamed and called to Eellayin once again to protect them, to save them, but she could no longer hear their pleas.    _

Luke sighed and kissed the top of Mara’s head.  “What a sad story.”

“They all seem to be,” Mara said wryly.  “Have you noticed?  These Celestials were a tragic bunch.”

“When you have a myth that explains a great cataclysm that results in an asteroid field where a planet used to be, I suppose you have to reach for the macabre.”

“They take it seriously though.”  Mara took his hand, twining their fingers together.  “They’ll only agree to trade the mineral if it won’t be used to build weaponry - they think their fire goddess may still be out there somewhere, waiting.”

“It’s certainly nice to think so.”  Luke had often wondered if there was any truth to the Celestial legends, he had surmised that they were ancient beings born of the Force but doubted that there were any remaining on their plane of existence.

“Can you tell me about your dream now?” Mara asked, and he felt a slight probe at the back of his mind.  

“I told you, it was nothing.”

Mara turned around in his arms and pierced him with a fierce look.  “Please.”  

Reluctantly, Luke explained his dream to her although it was difficult to describe, being more a collection of feelings and sounds than anything he could properly identify.  Mara listened to him without interjection or comment, and when he finished she remained silent for a long moment before rising up to kneel beside him on the bed.  

“I don’t think it’s a dream,” she told him.  “I think it’s a vision.”

“It’s possible.”  Luke sat up, dislodging Elia from his chest.  It wasn’t unusual for him to pick up on some remnant Force energy, whether it be from a traumatic event or the strong emotions of those around him.  But the images and sounds had been so nightmarish - too potent to be another’s thoughts.  

Mara held out her hand, a look of determination on her face.  “Come with me.”

She led him down the smooth corridors of the mining base, occasionally viewing the asteroid surface and night sky beyond, but that soon disappeared as they made their way towards the medical centre at the heart of the development.  

The room she chose to show him was nondescript, with a viewing area and the operation room separated by glass, a long oval platform hovering in the centre.  There were dark screens on the walls but there were no holographic projections, nor were any meddoids in the vicinity - the room was clearly no longer in use.  

“Do you feel anything?” Mara asked, uncharacteristically timid.   

“Yes,” Luke nodded, a tightness in his heart as he heard the woman screaming again.  “It’s strange, it’s like my dream, but the vision is stronger.”

“Not so strange,” Mara took his face in her hands and drew his focus back.  “You were born in this room.”

Stunned, Luke stared at her for a few moments trying to process her words.  “What do you mean?” he asked, frowning at her.  “How could you know?”

“I’ve been doing some research,” Mara told him, her hands drifting across his shoulders and down his arms.  “I didn’t tell you because I wasn’t sure I’d find anything...but do you remember when we were on Chandrila, Mon Mothma encouraged us to visit Naboo?”

Luke blinked, his mind sluggish.  “Vaguely.”

“Something about the way she said it...well you know me, I get suspicious.”  Mara began to walk around the room, arms folded as if uncertain of his reaction.  “I started looking into that Festival of Light she was talking about, apparently it commemorates the date on which Naboo joined the New Republic - it's quite the celebration, fireworks, parades, music.”

“Sounds nice.”  Luke was beyond confused, and in the back of his mind he could still hear screaming.

“The interesting thing is that they didn’t celebrate it during the reign of the Empire, I suppose for obvious reasons.”

Luke nodded, he was aware that while Naboo was Palpatine’s homeworld it was also strongly democratic and had fiercely opposed his rule as Emperor.  

“The last Festival they held was just after Palpatine declared himself Emperor, and also happened to coincide with the funeral of a former queen.”  Mara ran her hand lightly over the edge of the medical platform.  “Her name was Padmé Amidala, she reigned during the dispute between Naboo and the Trade Federation.  It’s not a well known conflict, a footnote when they talk about Palpatine’s election to Supreme Chancellor, but when I dug a little deeper I found reference to Jedi who’d fought on the Queen’s side in the battle - Obi-Wan Kenobi, and a boy called Anakin Skywalker.”

“What?”  He’d scoured the database for reference to his father and had found records of his exploits of his activities during the Clone Wars but nothing of his life before arriving at the Temple at nine years old.  Growing up Uncle Owen had never wanted to talk about him, and Luke couldn’t trust that what little information he had revealed had been the truth either.  

“Wait….” Luke searched his memory. “Padmé Naberrie was the senator for Naboo, Obi-Wan and my father were assigned to protect her at the outbreak of the Clone Wars. I never thought anything of it though, they went on a lot of missions."  He tried to remember if the reports had indicated any special bond between Anakin and the woman under his protection, but they all tended to be fact based with little in the way of true information.  "Even if they did know each other before…”

“I found a picture of her.”  Mara withdrew a small holoprojector from her pocket and thumbed it on. It was the standard image for an Old Republic senator, the subject appearing unsmiling in formal robes, but the resemblance was undeniable.

The leap in his heart could not be denied, the answer to a lifetime of longing. Yet he was also cautious, almost unwilling to believe on the slim chance it would all be ripped away.  It could all be mere coincidence. 

“She died just after Empire Day, and on Naboo the Festival of Light became her funeral. I found the holos - she was pregnant when she died, almost full term.”  Mara pressed the holoprojector into his hand.  “At least that's what they made it look like.”

“And your investigations...” Luke looked around the room. “They led you here?”

“The records were destroyed, but seeing how interested I was in their history the mining group allowed me access to their database.”  Mara smiled, she was on a roll.  “I was able to retrieve the entry logs for those few days, when a Nubian royal starship and an Alderaanian freighter docked for refuge and medical assistance. The passenger manifests listed Padmé Naberrie, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda and Bail Organa."  She smirked and raised her eyebrows.  "Quite the illustrious group.”

Luke stared at the holo of Padmé, then closed his eyes and reached out into the Force for answers.  The vision returned, but this time with clarity.  The room formed around him, he could see Obi-Wan through the glass, younger but with the same worry etched on his face.  Next to him stood Bail Organa, who Luke recognised from holos Leia had shown him - two future guardians, both there to witness the birth of the children they would watch over for the next nineteen years.  

He heard screaming again, and turned to see Padmé in a white gown on the medical platform, droids hovering around her in her labours.  He felt her pain, the agony of her heart crying out and shattering, her body contorting and stretching to birth the children she wasn’t prepared for.  He saw himself, named by his mother, held by Obi-Wan; he saw Leia, her eyes open and bright, absorbing everything around her.  He watched as Padmé drew her last breath, a belief there was still good in Anakin, a hope even as her life drifted away.  

When Luke returned to himself he was in Mara’s arms, tears streaming down his cheeks as he drew in ragged breaths.  

“It’s her,” he whispered, pulling back.  “My mother.”

Mara stroked his cheek, soothing him.  “Happy Birthday, Luke.”

He managed a smile, staring at her with wonder.  “How did you know?”  On Tatooine they didn’t celebrate the day of one’s birth, not that he had known it in any event.  While he enjoyed partaking in the birthdays of others, he’d never felt the need to mark the day even after he'd learned it.

Mara shrugged.  “I asked Leia.”

“I have to tell her,” Luke said, suddenly purposeful.  “I never thought we’d find out who our mother was.”

“There’s still more we can learn,” Mara told him.  “The next Festival of Light is in a few months, and I think....I’d like our baby to be born on Naboo.”

Luke touched her belly lightly, still small enough to be hidden beneath loose clothing but he could feel the life growing inside her, already strong.  He swore that their child would never know the sorrow of its parents, would never had to wonder or long for or search for its parents.  They would the family Anakin and Padmé had dreamed of, but never lived to see.   

“I’d like that too.”   
  



End file.
